Ko Tarutao

The Tarutao Archipelagos in Thailand

Visiting Ko Tarutao & Ko Lipe plus the Archipelago

Situated south of the Bay of Bengal and Myanmar (Burma), west of Thailand, northwest of the Malay Peninsula and Penang, north of Aceh / Indonesia and east of India.

Beaches, scuba diving, nightlife, plus history, great hotels, and beach resorts, plus live aboard and scuba diving trips to the Similan and Surin Islands, Tarutao archipelago, Phuket and countless other places almost all of them have spectacular waterfronts. A tour to discover this brings people to one of the last underwater paradises on earth.

In the Indian Ocean are countless islands to play Robinson, travel exotic places, cruising

and do coral diving, big game fishing, sailing, and still find another even more exciting spot.

The Andaman Islands & Sea

It stretches to the south into Malaysia and beyond the Ko Tarutao archipelago close to Langkawi Island.

The island world of this part of the Indian Ocean is relatively untouched, before the 16th Century only Chinese trader moved into the area to buy or rather exchanged pearls and other goods with the Sea Gypsies of the Myeik Archipelago and behind. The part which belongs to today Myanmar has changed several times between them and Thailand.​

In the 17th. Century Mergui, as it was formerly know belonged to the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It fell into the hand of the British after they annexed Burma. The city was an important place on the map of the East India Company because it functioned as a restock and trading center on the trip from Calcutta to Penang. Goods have been unloaded here and moved on the back of elephants to the Gulf of Thailand and further to Ayutthaya, China, and Japan.

A bit further to the south near Kawthaung is the Isthmus of Kra which has the shortest distance between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. This is a destination for a great beach vacation, jungle trekking, caving, kayaking, canoeing and climbing the limestone rocks at Krabi; explore national parks, sunbath on the waterfront. Do some surfing, water and jet ski, paragliding or maybe some scuba diving in the Indian Ocean, it could also be just the right place for retirement.

Almost all Thailand sea destinations offer exceptional snorkeling and scuba diving excursions, often by live aboard or day trips with the dive vessel or other yachts. Outstanding scuba diving destinations are the Similan Islands off Khao Lak accessible by tours from Phuket and by speedboat from Khao Lak via Lam Ru Pier a couple of kilometers before.Plenty of tropical fish, sea snakes, sea horses, whale sharks, white sharks, sting rays and other big game reside in these waters.

The Thailand Andaman Sea is a very large area with countless fine coastal strips (see the map), so you can be sure not to see many tourists around, in particular at the Andaman Nicobar Islands which are under Indian control and the access is restricted. The best known Andaman Island beaches are at Phuket and here the number one is Patong Beach. The most famous inhabitants of the area are the Sea Gypsies called Salon in Myanmar and Moken in Thailand.

Yao Yai off Phuket in Phang Nga

Phi Phi Island Part of Village Beach

Sailing at Phi-Phi Island with the big ferry

Andaman Sea tourist activities with the kayak

In particular, Phuket is the nightlife center (center of gravity is Patong Beach) with bars, nightclubs, shows, especially Thai bar girls legendary. Every night real hot stuff is on with thousands of tourists from all over the world who try to have a good time with Thai people who come here from "every corner" of the country to make some money and some make it, it depends on how they look and behave.

Phuket West Coast Beaches Kata and Karon

This is the entertainment and amusement center of south Thailand during day and night. The interesting activities are day trips to the north which is Khao Lak and Khao Sok National Park with a huge reservoir set into the wilderness. There are trekking trails are available , small waterfalls, tree houses, rivers to paddle and a whole floating village on the lake including cottages to stay and make some tours.

Here is one of the most active and attractive tourism destination in the world with fascinating waterfronts, islands, a great underwater world, coral reefs, lush tropical jungle, excellent food and on the Thailand side the best nightlife in the world, in particular on Phuket island on the other side of the Gulf of Thailand is Pattaya with a similar setting and Bangkok. On the road to Malaysia is Hat Yai and at Danko / Sadao at the Thai-Malaysia border again an incredible nightlife.

Activities are diving, island hopping, big game fishing plus an unrestrained nightlife.Taking pictures, water sports, trekking, hiking, elephant rides or just sit down at bar or club, drink some beer and watch the bar girls. There are several marine parks, one of them is around the Similan Islands, another is Ko Tarutao and several more.Other famous islands are Ko Samui & Ko Phangan and so on, it is evident there is something going in the south of Thailand. There is Ranong about 300km north of Phuket and the gateway to south Myanmar, Ranong is the biggest harbor on the Thai west coast.Thailand's deep south has a big problem with Muslim insurgency who are killing people by the dozen almost every day. These lunatics go preferable after Buddhist Monks and Teachers and are burning down schools frequently. What a rotten mind this person must have who are killing monks and even temple boys all in the name of Islam.

The Thai Andaman Sea

Here are also information of the top scuba diving areas in southern Thailand's, like Richelieu rock near the Surin Islands, Similan Islands between Phuket and the border to Myanmar and other beautiful places.

At the Ko Tarutao archipelago which has around about 50 islands with a few open to public Thailand ends at the border to Malaysia is dotted with hundreds of islands densely forested with jungle, usually having a frontline of white beaches and limestone rocks and granite boulder. Some of the very few “virgin” places on this planet, above and under the ocean surface.

The clean, serene beaches are the ideal ambiance for all kind of vacation. Its tropical sun, emerald sea, coconut palms, plus casuarinas, sand and granite boulder.

Tropical Thailand and Andaman Sea Beaches

Photos

What you are searching for on the quest for a perfect vacation?

One of the best-known beaches in the Andaman Sea is Patong Beach on Phuket, with great beach life and even greater nightlife.

Patong Beach is some kind of paradise on earth when you are a guy and after the Thai bar girls. They add a spicy flavor to a vacation. If you like other stuff on your Thailand vacation, no problem anything vacation related is available such as beach massage, paragliding, kite surfing, jet ski rush, big bikes, quads, paintball, elephant trekking in the jungle around Khao Lak, Phuket and Krabi plus tasty food of any type.

There are other travel options, if you look around at Phuket Town there are some signs of the past still left. to a vacation of any guy, gay and lesbian. If you like other stuff on your Thailand vacation, no problem anything vacation related is possible such as beach massage, paragliding, kite surfing, jet ski rush, big bikes, quads, paintball, elephant trekking in the jungle around Khao Lak, Phuket and Krabi plus tasty food of any type often available at the shore.

Myanmar Andaman Travel Option

Burmese travel photos

From neighboring Myanmar, the travel method is usually via the long tail boat.

Or crossing the Thailand-Burmese border over the mountain ranges of the north. People touchdown at Phuket enjoying pleasant beach resorts along the coast and on the islands.

The Andaman Islands count are in the region of maybe 3 to 4 thousand and most are not inhabited but this is slowly changing since all beaches at the usual tourist places such as Phuket are more or less used people tend to move into the vicinity to build up beach resorts. But they are very restrictive and don't allow access to all islands.

The center of this part of the ocean on Phuket island is Patong Beach and a bit to the south is Karon, a very long stretched seafront with plenty of space even during the high season when the weather brings sunshine every day. The luxury hotel center is at Laguna, a former tin mining area where they made ponds out of the mines. In front is Bangtao a pretty beach of the Andaman Sea Coast a long, almost deserted stretch of fine sand with no islands visible off shore.

South Thailand Photos

Around Phuket Town

Great Sino – Portuguese villas at Dibuk Street in downtown Phuket City, old Chinese architecture presenting some heritage plus several museums. But unfortunately the people are with such awful greedy after the money they try continuously to demolish their heritage to raise ugly apartment buildings instead.

It happens at Dibuk Street not so long ago when the demolished one of the most beautiful Sino-Portuguese Villa between Phuket and Penang still from the "Tin Age". They replaced the building by an ugly new one in current Thai style which is similar to the junk they built in Europe in the 19th century.

If the vacation idea is to vanish into a remote getaway that's the right place.

The catch is if you want to get out of this within a day it's also available everything is possible in Thailand. From the main island which is Ko Tarutao (Ko stands for the island), the Malaysian Andaman Island of Langkawi is visible, just about 40 km off. From the pier at Pak Bara on the mainland ship, connections to Langkawi are available.